The Ghana Empire is near the Niger River. The people of Ghana made money by charging taxes on traders who passed through to buy and sell gold and salt. Gold was abundant to the south of Ghana and salt (which was very important and just as valuable as gold to them) was abundant to the north of Ghana. The Ghana Empire stayed wealthy and strong for over 300 years.
The Mali Empire was successful because there was a new source of gold found along the Niger River. This kept the Mali Empire in business. Mansa Musa was a very popular king from 1312-1337. He was known to pass out gold and other amazing gifts to people he met on his journey Mecca.
Learn more about the Mali Empire here.
Have you ever heard of Timbuktu? Turns out that Timbuktu was not a fable after all. Timbuktu was a real city and one of the most important centers for learning about Islam. Mosques, schools, and courts were set up in Timbuktu. The laws were strict in Timbuktu which made Timbuktu a very safe place to live so naturally more people wanted to live there. Timbuktu was also the home of the University of Sankore which drew students from all over the world to study medicine and law.
I think we have all heard the phrase "From here to Timbuktu" but why do we say this to indicate that a place is unimaginably far away? Well, Timbuktu was located at the southernmost edge of the Sahara Desert about 8 miles from the Niger River. I think that is pretty far away.
Finally, a look into the Songhai Empire. Songhai was located in western Africa and was one of the largest Islamic Empires in history. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Songhai Empire was the largest empire in West Africa. Salt, gold, and copper were the main trades in Songhai.
You can read more about the Songhai Empire here.
It is believed that African groits (storytellers) passed on information about their kings and battles, and this is how we know some of the history of the Empires of West Africa.
Learn more about the Mali Empire here.
Have you ever heard of Timbuktu? Turns out that Timbuktu was not a fable after all. Timbuktu was a real city and one of the most important centers for learning about Islam. Mosques, schools, and courts were set up in Timbuktu. The laws were strict in Timbuktu which made Timbuktu a very safe place to live so naturally more people wanted to live there. Timbuktu was also the home of the University of Sankore which drew students from all over the world to study medicine and law.
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| Map from National Geographic |
You can read more about the Songhai Empire here.
It is believed that African groits (storytellers) passed on information about their kings and battles, and this is how we know some of the history of the Empires of West Africa.
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